Friday, August 23, 2024
It’s an understatement to say the stakes are high, meaning the stakes of enduring the end-times. Klaus Schwab of the WEF said by 2024 year’s end the world will be angrier than it is now. We should believe him. Globalist’s plans mandate anger and violence because that’s what they want. The DNC this week in Chicago doubled down on its abortion and LGBTQ+ agendas that sinfully and shamefully promote the destruction of people made in the image of God and destroys family.
Patently wicked evils promoted and glorified by radical leftist Democrats, liberals, globalists and the elites, are rapidly thrusting this world toward the revelation of the “the man of sin … the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3), and if one isn’t firmly grounded by new birth faith in Jesus, one will fall for cultural demands that forsake the safe harbor of redeeming faith in the blood of Christ. It is spiritually bittersweet to see end-time Scripture being fulfilled regarding this last generation in that, “evil men [unbelievers in the world] and impostors [inside the church] will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). True believers are indeed the vast minority.
Resolve even now just who it is that you believe concerning the time of the end. Do you have a biblical worldview? That’s an important question, because only 37% of pastors hold a biblical world view. Is your pastor one of the 62% who hold a hybrid worldview called Syncretism? In part the link article says, “As veteran researcher and CRC Director of Research George Barna explains, ‘It’s just further evidence that the culture is influencing the American church much more than Christian churches are influencing the culture.’” While that’s disheartening, if one knows God’s end-time word, the falling away church that’s caving to the culture had to come and it’s here. In large part, many organized churches are as corrupt as the unbelieving world.
Does your end-time theology agree with Christ or with the non-biblical pre-trib tradition of men making God’s word of no effect, Mark 7:13? In whom do you trust, the post-trib rapture taught by Christ or the self-deceived belief in a pre-trib rapture? Time is short for people to decide with whom they stand in faith. The church was warned, but rejects that warning: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:1–5). If we oppose the tides of evil, the stakes are very high.
The Christian Post headline is so very true: “Spiritual awakening ‘needed in our pulpits’”. This article also says that, “Another study released by the Barna Group last month showed that more pastors now say they considered quitting their jobs compared to a year ago, driven to despair by stress, loneliness, political divisions and other worries like their church being in decline.” And this study was done over two years ago in 2022! But this problem is growing worse weekly and the reason can only be that pastors are not teaching and instructing their flocks to be reconciled to God and His Christ, and to forsake the ungodly compromises demanded by the culture. But it takes a man of God filled with integrity and a commitment to uphold the “it is written” word of God rather than traditions of men. For many, the stakes of true faith in Christ are just too high; not willing to count the cost of being a true follower of Christ, about which I wrote last week. “We’re seeing deconstruction, pastors watering down the Gospel, and other things going on.”
There’s a Facebook post that’s worthy of being sent to all professing Christians. The question was asked, “What is the greatest threat to the church of our generation?” The answer comes as absolutely no surprise: “Pastors. Honestly, pastors.” I couldn’t agree more! Watch it here. That bold declaration is absolutely true, but few people are discerning of it because biblical illiteracy is rampant in Western Christianity. But this too was foretold of the time of the end, instructing every pastor, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they [the people in the church] will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:1–5). That is God’s command to every qualified minister, pastor and Bible teacher in the church!
The stakes are high and few are up to the challenge of defending the “it is written” gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The downward spiral of Western Christianity has come about because it trains ministers and pastors, not to defend Christ but defend denominational doctrines and traditions of Dispensational Theology, which at its core mandates the pre-trib rapture, an easier way to heaven than the post-trib rapture taught by Christ. And over the many decades since Darby (1800–1880), with thousands of pastors preaching his easier way to heaven than through the 7-year tribulation that Christ taught, is it any wonder that other rebellious changes to Scriptures were and are being adopted as mandated by the culture that wholly departs from Christ, but sanctioned as right and good by the rebellious. This is why many denominations today sanction the LBGTQ+ and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) agendas that run 100% percent opposed to the everlasting and unchanging “it is written” word of God. But it takes solid spiritual integrity to stand against the perverse evils of culture, something that many thousands of pastors just do not have. It’s also why many pastors today even preach the abomination that faith in Christ is not the only way to God and everlasting life. Their rebellions against Christ bear witness to their own destruction.
Qualifications of a true minister is as Paul said, “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11–12). The man, the apostle Paul, over the course of 14 years, Gal. 2:1, learned what he learned directly from the testimony of Christ. And today, if would-be ministers gave themselves to the study and embrace of “the revelation of Jesus Christ” as did Paul, instead of numerous indoctrinations by doctrines and traditions of denominations, the church would not be facing the spiritual crisis and massive falling away from the faith that’s increasingly been occurring. But it will only get much worse.
Be encouraged to get my new book “ON EAGLES’ WINGS”, it addresses real life issues not addressed in these weekly Letters which compares prophetic and current events. Many have not yet gotten my new book, but I hope you get it for yourself and even as a gift for others. If you love truth and want to be prepared for the coming seven-year tribulation, this book will assist you finding God’s place of safety and provision.
Marlin J. Yoder
